This invention relates to golf clubs and more particularly to a putter that uses a solid material for the putter head which allows novel design improvements and imparts a softer "feel" to the putt, thereby enhancing the precision and accuracy of the golfer's putting stroke.
The game of golf consists of the "long game" and the "short game." The short game consists of chip shots less than 100 yards in length and putting on or around the putting surface (green). The sport offers a variety of equipment to fit the needs of players at different skill levels. For example, golf balls are available in hard cover and soft cover (balata) forms. The hard cover balls are more durable and provide longer distance for the golfer's long game versus the balata ball. For these same reasons, the hard cover balls are more difficult to control in the short game and around and on the green because they quickly rebound off the club face, tending to be more lively or "hot," and offering less control than a balata ball. As a result, the amateur golfer who needs to play a hard cover ball to maximize distance for the long game has to sacrifice strokes in the short game and shoot a higher score. Although the balata balls are preferable for the short game, they are less desirable to the amateur golfer to use because they carry a comparably shorter distance than the hard cover balls in the long game and also are easily cut or mutilated if mis-hit by the golf club. Furthermore, the Rules of Golf do not permit a golfer to use two different types of balls between shots unless he or she uses a new ball every time the ball is replaced. This practice is impractical and costly.
One alternative is to use a club that will produce a softer "feel" to the stroke and more control of the putt when the golfer uses a hard cover ball. Since putting is one part of the short game requiring a high degree of control over the stroke, this invention is a putter that uses a solid material that is softer than conventional putter heads in the preferred embodiment. Other putters (Odyssey, graphite heads, U.S. Pat. No. 5083778) attempted to achieve this objective, but in these cases, the materials do not lend themselves to improvements to the putter head design which enhance the golfer's alignment of the putt, thereby further contributing to improvement of putting results.
When putting, the golfer must properly align the putter so that the point of impact of the putter face against the golf ball is directed toward the target. Numerous putter designs have lines, grooves, or other markings on top of the club to optimize this alignment. Two additional components of alignment that are also important are the position of the hands over the ball and the position of the putter face perpendicular to the line of the putt (also known as "squareness" of the putter face). Existing putters do not combine putter face and putter top markings for alignment without violating the single solid surface integrity of the putter face. That is, putters with engraved grooves, painted lines and inlays on the putter face do not have a single solid surface face. These alterations to the face affect the "feel" and responsiveness of the putt.